In this course, we will explore the development and aftermath of Portuguese and Spanish expansion across vast swathes of ocean, lands and peoples between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. Our studies will take us from the peninsular kingdoms of Iberia and islands of the ‘Atlantic Mediterranean’ through regions of north and western Africa, Macau and India, to the Americas and Philippines archipelago. We seek to understand universalizing visions of Christian crusade and mission, conquest and trade which emanated from the contested heartlands of Spain and Portugal. But our emphases will fall even more squarely on the many consequences of these visions and expansions across the globe, on the religious and cultural transformations and on artistic expressions which transpired within empire. Time and again, and often with only fragmentarily reported episodes to go on, we will take up the challenge of interpreting the thoughts and interactions of different kinds of people in colonial settings.

We will proceed through a mix of short lecture presentations, open and group discussions, and writing assignments that will develop your creativity as well as your capacity for research. We will blend close consideration of primary sources (including texts, visual images, objects, and spaces created in the time) and secondary readings (the interpretations of modern scholars) with forays into popular, fictional and filmic representations.

Course Requirements:

Participation in opportunities for discussion will be paramount, but students will also be evaluated on periodic response papers and presentations, and on a series of short (take-home) writing assignments. There are no examinations.

Intended Audience:

While the course is designed for third-year undergraduates, fourth-years are welcome, as are second-years with background knowledge of and/or keen interest in the historical subjects at hand. That said, curious historical interpreters at any stage, and from any disciplinary background (meaning literatures, anthropology, art history, etc), will not be out of place.

Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms.

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